Church leaders have expressed outrage at the continuing attacks on civilians in Aleppo by Russian and Syrian warplanes and called for an end to airstrikes.
Representatives of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Methodist Church, the United Reformed Church, the Church of Scotland, Quakers and the Church in Wales – representing more than a million UK Christians – say the destruction of Aleppo must stop.
In a statement released today, they say: "We are appalled by the attacks on civilians by the Syrian Government, Russian and other forces. Life is a gift of God. The targeting and killing of civilians can never be passed off merely as a consequence of war. Aerial strikes on homes, hospitals and aid convoys are never acceptable, under any circumstances."
They stress the responsibility for the attacks "lies first and foremost with those who have carried them out". However, they say the frequency of the attacks underlines "a failure on the part of the international community to uphold long-established principles concerning the immunity of civilians in conflict". The statement says UN member states should seek to hold to account those responsible.
The statement concludes: "The world cries out for an end to the death and destruction in Syria that daily adds to the largest flight of refugees since the Second World War. We join with our brothers and sisters of other churches and other faiths in praying for the people of Syria. We claim no simple solution to a complex political reality but offer the simple message of our faith: that every life is valued by God and that the slaughter must end now."
According to the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, in the two weeks following the collapse of the ceasefire, 376 people have been killed in Aleppo, one third of whom were children, and a further 1,266 wounded. The international humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières said recently that there have been 23 recorded attacks on Aleppo's eight hospitals since the end of July.
The Churches' Joint Public Issues Team has prepared a briefing paper on the protection of civilians in Syria.
